سورة الروم

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): اللهُ الَّذِی خَلَقَکُم مِّن ضَعْفٍ [Allah is He Who created you from weakness]; that is, from a foul and feeble drop. ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِن بَعْدِ ضَعْفٍ قُوَّةً ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِن بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ ضَعْفًا [Then He made after weakness strength, then made after strength weakness]; that is, old age.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) related a hadith containing an argument for Allah the Maker. After hearing his words, Ibn Abi al-Awja' said: I said to the Imam (peace be upon him): "If the matter is as you say, then why did Allah not manifest Himself to His creation to call them to His worship, so that no two among them would differ? And why in principle has Allah hidden Himself from people and sent prophets to them? Had He Himself appeared to them, they would have been closer to faith." So the Imam (peace be upon him) said to me: "Woe unto you! How can He who has shown you His power within your very own self be hidden from you? You were not, and He created you. You were a child, and you grew up. You were weak, and you became strong. You were sick, and you became well. You were angry, and you became content. You were sorrowful, and you became joyful. You were spiteful, and you became loving. You were loving, and you became hostile. You were irresolute, and you became resolute. You were resolute, and you became irresolute. You came to desire something after having felt aversion to it, and you felt aversion after having desired it. You had inclination and eagerness, then you became fearful. You were fearful, and then you became eager. You were despairing, and you became hopeful; you were hopeful, and you became despairing. And there came to your mind what had not been in your thoughts, and there vanished from your mind what had been imprinted upon it." He continued to enumerate for me the inner powers within me, which I was unable to ward off from myself, until I thought that Allah was about to manifest Himself between me and him.